WikiLeaks Reveals U.S. List of Strategic Sites

WikiLeaks has been condemned by British and U.S. officials for publishing a secret State Department inventory of sites across the world deemed vital to American security.

The document, dubbed the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative according to a report in The Telegraph, lists everything from British pharmaceutical factories churning out vaccines and insulin, to a Bauxite mine in the African nation of Guinea.

The State Department reportedly asked American diplomats around the world in 2008 to file what is essentially an inventory of key sites in their post countries.

Full Coverage of WikiLeaks CableGate

The document was signed off by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and although much of the information contained was already in the public domain, officials in Washington and London have been quick to condemn WikiLeaks for publishing it, calling the act evidence of the organization's willingness to potentially aid terror groups in its mission to reveal U.S. secrets.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former senior British member of Parliament and current chair of the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee, told The Times that WikiLeaks' decision to publish the document was "further evidence that they have been generally irresponsible, bordering on criminal."

"This is the kind of information terrorists are interested in knowing," Rifkind told the British newspaper.

WikiLeaks defended the release of the list, saying they had not given the precise location of any of the "critical" sites in question, and that the document was further evidence that American envoys were acting outside the parameters of normal diplomatic work to gather "intelligence" on their host countries.

The leaked cables, according to The Telegraph, show the directive to U.S. embassies made it clear they should not consult host governments while gathering the information to build the list for the Departments of Homeland Security and State.

WikiLeaks released diplomatic cables last week which revealed that the CIA was behind a State Department directive to gather information on U.N. officials.

"This further undermines claims made by the U.S. Government that its embassy officials do not play an intelligence-gathering role," WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson told The Times. "In terms of security issues, while this cable details the strategic importance of assets across the world, it does not give any information as to their exact locations, security measures, vulnerabilities or any similar factors, though it does reveal the U.S. asked its diplomats to report back on these matters."

Philip Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State, gave The Times what was just the latest condemnation of WikiLeaks actions to come from a U.S. official.

"There are strong and valid reasons information is classified, including critical infrastructure and key resources that are vital to the national and economic security of any country," he told the paper. "Julian Assange may be directing his efforts at the United States but he is placing the interests of many countries and regions at risk. This is irresponsible."

Assange, the founder and figurehead of WikiLeaks, has called on both President Obama and Clinton to resign following the revelation of the personal information gathering at the U.N., which he claims both senior officials approved.

Also among the hundreds of sites listed in the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative are military industrial facilities and the entry point for a massive trans-Atlantic communications cable in Britain, key shipping lanes and natural gas facilities pipelines in the Middle East, and a smallpox vaccine factory in Denmark.

According to the Telegraph's report, the leaked cable went so far as to list the names and phone numbers of two State Department staff in charge of coalescing the information for the initiative.

[Doctor_Bones]

This is chilling for free speech. Wikileaks is a private organization not a government entity and I don't see were they have any obligation to anyone to censor the leaked info that has been sent to them.

I can't wait till they release the info on the banking corruption. I think that is really why the US wants to stop WikiLeaks - to protect private banking that own all of the American politicians. They claim it's national security but that's probably BS.

[AmazingGrce]

KeithDrippingSprings - Just wait until a hacker accesses YOUR private information like all your checks, bank balances, web sites you go to etc. We'll see how happy you are with that information going public. Or if you have any investments - wait until some stock or fund you goes in the toilet because some of their private/secure information is compromised by Wikileaks of someone else. Lotsa luck then bud.

[Doctor_Bones]

That is a terrible comparison. BTW Homeland security already is watching everything you do financially anyway, you have zero privacy from BIG BROTHER.

[AmazingGrce]

Doctor_Bones Why do you consider it a terrible comparison? Julian Ass. is not on some noble cause, he is out to prove his 'intelligence' regardless of the cost to others. That is not a noble cause. Read a little more about him and you'll find out just how egotistical he is. Forget about the rape charges, true or not they are nothing more than a small indicator of his ego issue. Exposing the list of strategic sites does what good unless he is supporting terrorists? Explain that one. As to the Big Brother issue guess you could stand it in Great Britian where there are cameras virtually everywhere in the cities and burbs. What makes you think other countries are doing nothing to 'spy' on their citizens? Wake up from your dream world Bud and get back to reality. Julian Ass. is a threat to everyone - He recognizes no rules but those he makes up on the fly.

[kmdyson]

WikiLeaks and Mr Assange is doing the right thing...governments are always bragging about transparency...perhaps they should practice what they preach...then they wouldn't be beholden to the plutocracy that owns their souls...

[JavMD]

i'm confused,
wow, i don't get it. why are they doing this, its world safety.
Is there not anything that can be done to stop these 'damage', we have enough problems with wantabe terrorists

[rabidopinion]

Sigh. I read the list very carefully. If the information comes as a surprise,I assure you, it is because you simply don't read a whole lot. That being said, the list is at least 1/4 rubbish. I suspect the list was drawn up very quickly, by relatively few persons with a narrow attention. Much of the list would hardly count as a critical asset. Antivenin? The company down the road from me produces more of it, and in more exotic varieties, than the rest of the world combined. The cobalt mine? Its production has been so volatile and corrupted in recent years that other lesser supplies of reliable cobalt resources have diminished the Congo demand dramatically. The list goes on. The thing most interesting is what has been left off the list. The wikileaks list could be pared down by a third of the items on it, and then perhaps another several hundred items added by a single person. All it takes is creativity. Water desalination? Only a couple plants make the RO element membranes. One makes about 80% of the world demand. Coltan? Aerospace electronics and small motors would largely become very hard to come by if two or three shockingly small mines and a single processing plant were somehow affected. High performance imaging systems? There are only a couple leading edge foundries to make the image planes. Neither are in the US. Bye bye new targeting and other military guidance systems. Laser materials? A very few sites, and even fewer materials sources. High security fiber optics? Perhaps one company site with actual product, and a few with development. The list that a single, solitary person could write is very long. If your security plan depends on ignorance by your enemy, then not only are you doomed, but you are choosing to become deeply ignorant yourself. All this blather to address risks that are largely self-inflicted, yet still smaller than getting hit by lightning a few times in your lifetime.

[MurdochSucks]

This just in, and it is leaked here first: in 1996 Bill Clinton receive oral from an intern... uhh, yawn...

[wyodutch]

More mindless, yellow-bellied, cowardly paranoia.
.
Right up there with the FBI warning to be on the lookout for people carrying the Farmer's Almanac.
.
December 29, 2003 - The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning.

[MurdochSucks]

HA HA HA HA, what about the Anarchist Cookbook? As if this information cannot be basically located on the Internet. This just seems to me like a strategic US plot to release "secret" information. Be suspicious, this Assange character could be a CIA insider, trying to disguise and distract us from some truly damning stuff that will come out soon, or may already have. Keep us distracted with details of foreign mistresses and drown us in paperwork to cover their tracks. Of course, this is just a conspiracy theory, I don't really believe it.

[YrWrongAgain]

I think that some of you ought to march in protest until the government says exactly where these sites are. You don't want to blow yourselves up at the wrong location, like at a girl's school. Oops, bad example.

[gruven13777]

It's good that Bradley Manning will be facing life in prison for most of this.

[refbatch]

I think White House just wants to say direct what is diplomatically impossible - WIKI - goof idea,and why to keep silent? Why not to say to hog that it enough sheet. For example Mr.Burns says truth: modern Russsia is criminalized authority's state. I leave here a little to read - say,what do you think about this obscurantism:

About Russia: how to classify the regime in the country,when every minute police can detain you and fabricate anything just because they must make "show" of their good proffessional work.You can be inprisoned for nothing and state machine will destroy you till end after that. For example : 46 years old Anna Matskevich on 4-th December 2010 was going for in sport in moscow park Kuzminky.The training was on the frost.At time when Anna Matskevich was making own video record in english for YouTube the local park police (Kuzminky-Lyblino) approached to her,ordered to stop record,detained and forwarded to 13-th moscow psychatry clinik,the address:109559, Moscow , Stavropolskaya street,house 27 ,department ?21

the message was sent to different sources :

from: Maxim Belov I remind once more : on 4-th December 2010 Anna Matskevich was detained by police on sport training and forwarded to moscow psychiatry clinik with fabricated classifying that Anna troubled people in Kuzminky park. At this moment Anna only was making video record in english,and maybe forgoten that english in Russia is only for Kremlin elite.

I spoke today to second Doctor-Chief Mr. Victor Iosifovich Brutman after head of 21-st department of the clinik Mrs.Larisa Victorovna Mischenko informed me that he does'nt sign the release of Anna Matskevich ,because policeman wrote that Anna Matskevich troubled people and did'nt subordinate to police apply. Mr.V.I. Brutman also said that Anna Matskevich was watched by three psychiatrists and their oppinion against her release.That he hasitates, he will have different oppinion after investigation of the case. He said that the court about this will take place directly in the clinik on wednesday on 8-th December 2010 at 10:00. I said that I am against this - he said that the court will decide Anna's case. I remind that staff in the clinik use very strong medicals,after which it is very difficult to think and especially to speak in the court for to prove that you are adiquiet and mentally healthy.

How many times police attacked (and even blowed) Anna with different acusations,how many ideotic threats were on her account. I consider this as state order for to isolate and discredit Anna Matskevich and as a political persecution of dissident,who directly says,that Russia now is criminal islamist's established state,where russian natives don't have voice of choice,no human rights,that islamist's terrorists make business covered and defended by Kremlin elite,that the country in reality destructed most of industry and depends on oil trade.

In my talk with Mr.V.I. Brutman I also showed him medical sertificate of 19 October 2010 from trauma office concerning blow of Anna Matskevich by unknown man. The second Doctor-Chief Mr. Victor Iosifovich Brutman siad me in the end of talk that I can call on tuesday for more informatiion. P.S. Today caucasian girl has got the vacancy of secretary of Head-Doctor of the 13-th psychiatry moscow clinik. I think moslem's prepare fabrication against Anna Matskevich. I express protest and consider all actions against Anna as state persecution of dissident. Your sincerely Maxim Belov